Consuming Earths, Devouring Skies

"!!!" Yan Zaizen’s mind shook. What did that mean?

"To be more exact, you were born soulless. You should be...a Non-Entity. I don’t know how you even exist. You should’ve died at birth." Her voice contained deep emotions but also deep confusion.

"Non-Entity?" Despite his shaken mind, he asked with a calm tone. His dao was still affecting him even at this moment.

"...A Non-Entity, an existence that shouldn’t exist. A mortal spawn that doesn’t conform to the heavenly law of samsara and creation. A life without a soul. An error. Your lack of a soul...it’s why your body had no talent, your mind had trouble developing, and your comprehension towards the laws are incredibly profound. After all, in your eyes, the heavens are viewed through a clarity untouched by the taint of the soul cycle, untainted by mortal instincts deep within the soul."

"Somehow, an artificial soul became your body’s main soul. Someone or something placed something in you - that black hole, hid it from the outside world and left you alone. I don’t know why, but...that’s my belief. Because...that squiggly line...that’s a newly created Spirit Form’s appearance. An artificial soul. It’s probably why your bloodline was capable of escaping your soul because it’s not connected to it."

"..." He was silent for a long time, a very long time. It was a lot to process. He had an artificial soul, his bloodline left his soul because it wasn’t connected to it, and his soul was placed in a body without a soul originally. "My memories?" His voice slightly trembled.

"As a True Spirit, I was only born because of my creator. When an artificial soul is being forged, the creator has to utilize their own soul flame, the very core of their soul, to do so. Like creating a mold for a sword. Even our gender and species is defined by theirs."

"What you’ve experienced is common amongst artificial souls. It’s called Soul Bleeding. Quite often, the creator’s memories, instincts, and personality would bleed into the artificial soul. Their personality, beliefs towards certain things, and even their shape are injected into it." As she explained, she recalled the memories of her creator that she experienced.

Her last master didn’t create her. She started out as a Spirit Form and developed, changed hands a few times, and had a new physical body forged many times with new masters wielding them. When her last master obtained her, she ascended to the True Spirit in his hands, under his dao. A feeling of great melancholy overwhelmed her as she recalled this.

"Haha, so...I’m a fake soul?" He started chuckling to himself with a tinge of madness. Initially, it was soft, but it slowly rose in volume until it became a thunderous laugh. If you take this into consideration, then all of it made sense.

A Non-Entity. An existence that was an error of the heavens, born to die, but stayed alive. Then, what was the black hole, and why was he created?

What was the purpose of his existence?!

A thought popped into his mind. "What...happens if I die?" From his knowledge, artificial souls don’t coincide with the heavens and thus cannot experience reincarnation. If they die, their existence truly vanishes.

"...I don’t know. In truth, I’m shocked by your circumstances. As a false soul with true intelligence, you shouldn’t be able to cultivate your soul by the conventional standards under the heavenly law and avoid heavenly punishment. You should be traveling our path. However, it seems your soul is special and you can tread that path, even develop your own dao. It’s possible, you’ll reincarnate..." The uncertainty in her voice was heavy. This was a first for her and likely everyone else beneath the heavens.

An artificial soul that can cultivate the standard soul path! If others knew this, they would dissect him for study. Not to mention, he was a Non-Entity! His perception towards the heavens was untainted by mortal dust and the soul cycle! In a short sixty years, he’s got insight into five, FIVE, different world laws. If anyone heard this, they wouldn’t believe it.

The reason why she knew of Non-Entities had to do with them often being used as Avatars! Because they don’t have a soul, yet were pure in mind and sight. Experts would segregate a piece of their soul and place it within. They would then use its unique trait to enhance their comprehension of the laws.

Unfortunately, they were far, far too rare. The heavens rarely make mistakes after all.

The chances the infant’s body isn’t burned or buried after birth due to the lack of a soul is already infinitesimal; Let alone obtaining the body.

"I see." Yan Zaizen emotions calmed down. Learning he was an artificial soul came as a shock, and it made him question what part of him was truly his. Imagine finding out someone created you against natural law and was influencing your actions in ways you didn’t know, it was hard to reconcile with this.

His eyes closed, his breathing steadied, and he floated in chaotic space for an indeterminate amount of time. Pinaka remained silent, sensing the fluctuations of Yan Zaizen’s mental state. Only after quite a while did he open his eyes to reveal its amber-gold luster. "I’ve decided."

"...?"

"To hell with it all! Artificial or real, I’m still me. I was born from my mother, taught by my father, and lived under my name since birth. Perhaps, I’ll learn more about why I exist or what’s this black hole in my soul, but until then, even if I never find out till death, I’ll live my own life. Especially if this is my only one..." With that, he shifted into a seated lotus position in preparation to cultivate.

"Let’s cultivate; the myriad realms await!"

His aura was fueled by his resolve to live his own path. Even if he was some artificial spirit initially, what did that mean for today? At the moment, he had a real soul, a real body, and real strength. His existence may be unnatural and artificial, but his current life isn’t.

Perhaps, If he gets stronger, he’ll be able to learn who created him and why, maybe he’ll figure out what this black hole is, and how it became his bloodline. However, if he doesn’t, then that’s fate.

Pinaka saw his mental recovery and seemed visibly relieved, but internally, her mind was anything but. She only had one question...if Yan Zaizen could take the conventional path, to become a real soul, a real existence...was it possible for her as well? Could she...become a true existence underneath the heavens?

A life, a family, a physical body and more? Could she have this?